Saturday, June 6, 2009

White Carpets

A beautiful white carpet of apple blossoms and S - N - O - W greeted us this morning.

I am grateful that not all my annuals are in the ground yet.

I am grateful that perennials generally withstand this sort of weather. It's not particularly cold, but the snow reminds us we live in Calgary and can expect it's visitation any time, all year. I'm converting my garden to more and more perennials, for obvious reasons. It's expensive and heartbreaking to lose so many flowering plants just after putting then into the ground.

I am grateful for a gardening concept I learned a few years ago called 'milk jug greenhouse'. Seeds are planted in specially prepared 4 litre milk jugs and then buried in the snow during the winter. When the plants begin to grow, they are very hardy because they have withstood the cold temperatures and grown in spite of it.

I am grateful for the quality of artificial plants and flowers which I have been know to purchase at the Dollar Store or Goodwill stores and strategically stick into the ground to give it the color I long for when real plants have not yet blessed me with their beauty.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Cat Crap and Pigeon Poop

I'm not going to come across all nicey dicey this time. The neighbor's cats are crapping in my flower beds and making a mess. Very annoying. They are not supposed to be roaming away from their master's house but do anyways because their guardians basically don't care. We could have them collected by the city pound but have decided not to make the neighbors mad at us, so we put up with the nonsense.

Same neighbor has pigeons lodging in a nook on their roof. Their flight path is across our back yard which has become a depository for their extra weight. Our patio and patio furniture, the rockery and hubby's model train layout (complete with buildings, animals, people, and vehicles) all get christened from time to time.

Difficult to be positive sometimes.

I am reminded the principle is not 'to be thankful for all circumstances' but rather 'to be thankful in/through all circumstances'.

So, I'm thankful that hubby found me some very kool looking purple rubber gloves to use when I gardening.

As for the pigeons:

Birdie, birdie, in the sky,
........
I'm so glad that cows don't fly.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Apple Blossoms and Owls

After spending a fabulous week in Edmonton with 4 grandchildren who were wonderfully good, I came home to discover that spring indeed had come to Calgary to stay. The trees in our front yard were covered in blossoms and I was very grateful that I got to see them dressed in their pretty colors (two trees, one pink, one white). These blossoms do not last long and are already dropping all over our driveway and front steps, messy but beautiful none the less.

Then we went for a walk in the neighborhood and were blessed with a sighting of the owls that have nested nearby for several years. We saw the parents and one baby but were informed by neighbors there are three babies this year. We hope to get a picture to post before they head off into the country.

My husband takes great delight in talking to animals (except pigeons) and started hooting. The baby was hunkering down for a nap and immediately stood up to see what was attempting to communicate. His mother, watched from a nearby rooftop and eventually convinced it to settled down again. They must have been preparing for their nightly hunt and junior needed some rest before heading out.